Granddaughter finds the faith to stop time temporarily

Thursday

Sep 5, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Periodically we stumble across the rare opportunity to experience something firsthand, with eyes that truly see the beauty. That moment of clarity comes when you realize there is a much greater hand involved in life. I refer to them as God Moments. When opportunities like this arise, it is imperative we share what we see. I feel led to share God Moments through painting my view with words.

Wendy Orrell

Periodically we stumble across the rare opportunity to experience something firsthand, with eyes that truly see the beauty. That moment of clarity comes when you realize there is a much greater hand involved in life. I refer to them as God Moments. When opportunities like this arise, it is imperative we share what we see. I feel led to share God Moments through painting my view with words. This is my first column as a guest columnist with The Dispatch for the 2013-14 year, and I am grateful for this opportunity. Of the multitude of topics to choose, there is a particular God Moment I am compelled to share first. My prayer is through each word the beauty from my view will take shape in your mind.Navigating through traffic in Winston-Salem can be tricky. Doing so from the passenger seat with our teenage son behind the wheel, as the youngest of our offspring becomes carsick, is a certifiable test in multi-tasking. This is where I was when my cell phone rang. It was my dear friend of many moons, a girl I've known since second grade. She has acted as my alter ego, confidante and co-conspirator but mostly chief provocateur into some of the more entertaining moments of life. The manner I answered my cell was anything but surprising to her. "In Winston! Hurling kid! Call you back!" Click. I snapped the phone shut and tossed it over the seat to extract our youngest from her gross bodily fluids. Later it occurred I never gave my friend the chance to speak, but I knew she would translate the jumble of words.Crisis resolved, we were back on the road for Lexington in short order. Reaching into the floorboard to retrieve my cell where it landed, it struck me why my dear friend of many moons had called. Without hearing her voice, without hearing the words, I just knew. Her beloved Granddaddy, Claude K. Sink Sr., took a final breath July 17. His earthly body ceased to suffer. He was in the presence of the Lord whom he had served so faithfully his entire life. Like many, my friend juggles being a wife, mother and full-time employee. She travels at the speed of child, quite literally, for her chosen career is in social work. For years, I've tried to figure out how she manages to be in all the places that demand her attention. Yet she does it and on very little rest for she is as nocturnal as a bat.The weeks leading up to Granddaddy Sink's death were painful, yet I watched my friend do something I had not seen her do in years. Upon learning his time was growing short, she did something quite remarkable for a woman who travels at such a pace.She stopped. Instead of flying through life on autopilot like we all are guilty of doing, she made her time stand still. Her priority was simple: spend as much time with Granddaddy as possible. My friend spent hours going through old pictures with him; him telling her old stories, some of which she'd heard, many she had not. As illness was ravaging his earthly body, his mind and faith remained sharp. Each day his physical comfort became more difficult to achieve. Once comfortable, she would position herself such that she was eye level with him. She made sure he felt her presence with gentle caresses; that she could hear his words clearly and he could hear hers. Sometimes as he lay sleeping, she would lie silently next to him, praying over him, simply savoring him. The display of devotion for her Granddaddy is not surprising. In fact, I dare say it's woven into her DNA. She is a member of probably the most unique family I have ever had the privilege of knowing. They are a family built on faith, forged over time through hard work and honest dealings. Claude and Verlie Sink made a commitment before God, pledging their vows 65 years ago this year. They worked hard, remaining faithful, and God blessed them with three healthy children. Through their children, they became grandparents and great-grandparents many, many, many times over. They are quite a formidable lot when they congregate, simply by their vast number.Yet to know them is to know love and to feel loved in return. They are not greedy with this love, for it extends well beyond the boundaries of blood. In his final weeks, one by one, each member of this family paid similar homage in their own unique way. The genuineness of each act made a lasting impression on anyone who witnessed.Strange as it may seem, it was an honor to watch my friend of many moons as she and her family went through the motions of laying Granddaddy to rest. At his funeral, she pooled off all she'd learned from growing up in a strong, faithful and incredibly large family. But she spoke from the eyes she had received over those weeks when she made time to stop. She stepped out of her comfort zone and honored her Granddaddy by sharing some of this knowledge before hundreds of friends and family gathered to pay their respects to an amazing man. Having known her all my life, I know the courage it took for her to do what she did that day. Just when I thought it impossible to admire her more, she did the unimaginable.She stopped time — so his legacy could live on.In loving memory of "Granddaddy" Claude K. Sink Sr.; Dec. 23, 1928 — July 17, 2013; and in honor of my "dear friend of many moons." She knows who she is — because we're good friends like that.Wendy L. Orrell is a wife and mother of three rascals. She believes in faith, family and friendship, and that laughter keeps the tears at bay. You can find her via Facebook at Wendy Leonard Orrell and a group page she created called "The Village."